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Three Danish soldiers die in Afghanistan: Denmark

COPENHAGEN: Three Danish soldiers serving with NATO forces in Afghanistan were killed and one was injured Friday when their vehicle was hit by an explosion in southern Helmand province, the Danish military said.

"Three Danish soldiers in the Danish battalion were killed and one was injured on Friday afternoon when their armoured vehicle drove over a roadside bomb or mine," the military said in a statement.

The blast occurred near the town of Gereshk. The injured soldier was transported to a field hospital at Camp Bastion for treatment, the military added.

The deaths bring to 21 the number of Danish troops killed in the country since Copenhagen deployed soldiers there as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in 2001 -- one of the highest per-capita death tolls among coalition forces.

"It is a sad day for Denmark," Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared, saying he was "deeply touched" by the deaths of three soldiers in "the fight to assure the safety and better living conditions of others."

He said in a statement: "My thoughts go out to the families of the victims and their comrades in Afghanistan," paying homage to the Danish soldiers in that country who "are contributing through their efforts to the hope of many people, and who deserve our respect and support."

Denmark currently has some 700 troops in Afghanistan, most of whom are stationed in the Helmand province under British command.

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